‘Lanterns’ Premieres Among HBO Max’s Top Titles, Besting DC Studios Predecessor ‘The Penguin’
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- Lanterns premiered to 9.3 million global cross-platform viewers and 6.6 million U.S. viewers in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery
- HBO Max ranks Lanterns among its top five series premieres by streaming viewership, with the show holding the No. 1 spot on its daily Top 10 list since launch
- Lanterns outperformed the debut view counts of other tentpole HBO Max series including The Penguin, IT: Welcome to Derry, and True Detective: Night Country, though those titles went on to average higher total viewers over time
- Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed the Lanterns premiere maintained strong retention, remaining the most-watched title on HBO Max for multiple consecutive days post-launch
- Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King co-created Lanterns, which follows John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as intergalactic cops investigating an earthbound murder with cosmic implications
- New episodes of Lanterns air Sunday nights at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on HBO and are available simultaneously on HBO Max
Why it matters: Lanterns’ strong debut—outpacing recent DC-adjacent and prestige HBO Max launches—gives Warner Bros. Discovery a rare immediate win in a crowded streaming landscape where even high-profile shows often take weeks to gain traction. The 9.3 million cross-platform figure suggests both built-in fan interest and effective platform placement.
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